CVE-2008-5102 in Zope
Summary
by MITRE
PythonScripts in Zope 2 2.11.2 and earlier, as used in Conga and other products, allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (resource consumption or application halt) via certain (1) raise or (2) import statements.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/22/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-5102 represents a critical denial of service weakness within the PythonScripts component of Zope 2 versions 2.11.2 and earlier. This flaw specifically affects systems utilizing Conga and other products that rely on Zope's scripting capabilities. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and resource management within the PythonScripts execution environment, creating a pathway for authenticated attackers to manipulate the system's resource allocation through carefully crafted script statements.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through two primary vectors involving Python language constructs. Attackers can trigger the denial of service condition by submitting malicious raise statements or import statements within the PythonScripts context. These statements, when processed by the vulnerable Zope versions, cause the application to consume excessive system resources or completely halt execution. The flaw exploits the underlying Python interpreter integration within Zope's scripting framework, where malformed or specially crafted statements bypass normal execution safeguards and resource limits.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on Zope-based applications. The denial of service condition can result in complete application unavailability, disrupting business operations and potentially affecting multiple users simultaneously. The authenticated nature of the attack means that only users with valid credentials need to exploit this weakness, making it particularly dangerous in environments where privilege escalation or insider threats are concerns. The resource consumption aspect can lead to system instability, while the application halt condition may require manual intervention to restore service.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which addresses "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption," and demonstrates characteristics consistent with the ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for "Network Denial of Service." Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to patched versions of Zope 2, implementing strict input validation for PythonScripts, and establishing monitoring for suspicious script execution patterns. Additionally, network segmentation and access controls can limit the potential impact of exploitation, while regular security assessments should verify the absence of similar vulnerabilities in related systems. The remediation process should also include thorough testing of updated configurations to ensure that legitimate application functionality remains intact while addressing the resource consumption issues that enable this attack vector.